Balenciaga Zen from Frame. on Vimeo.
Most designers tend to design with restraints to their creative process.
Whether it's a time deadline, fabric availability or some other concern, the constraints tend to subconsciously affect the output in ways that aren't often immediately noticed but which imperceptibly take their toll nonetheless. When we designed KNGDM, our Fall/Winter collection, we didn't think about any of those issues. Instead, we wanted to stay true to the inspiration and develop the line to be as expressive with its messaging as we needed it to be.
In doing so, what we found was that KNGDM wasn't a clean, color balanced fit with most of the accessory brands out there but for the few that it DID match, the results were striking and visually stunning. One of those brands was Balenciaga and their Zen kicks provided both contrast and synergy with the collection in a really dope way. For us, that's a plus; it's a validation of the fact that when your vision is focused on being true to the ethos of your brand, good things happen.